The Murdered Man
by XHoneywoodX
Summary: Sherlock and John start work on a case that is screaming for Sherlocks attention. Rated T- for murder
1. Chapter 1

Author Note- Hello! This is my first Fanfic, hope you enjoy! Please review! xxx

The door of 221B Baker Street was left wide open as usual when Mrs. Hudson got to the top of the stairs, John was gently tapping on his laptop and Sherlock was dissecting the Newspaper. Every so often you would hear him mutter, "Boring" and furiously turn the page.

'Oh Sherlock, why don't you go out for some nice fresh air?' Mrs. Hudson remarked as she cleared 3 day old mugs on to the tray.

'Because fresh air is dull and this is London, fresh air doesn't exist here' he said turning another page of his news paper.

'However, this could be interesting' John said as he turner in his chair to face Sherlock, who was doing his up most to ignore him. 'Not even a flicker of interest?' John pressed on 'Fine, have it your way.'

'What?' Sherlock scowled

'Oh nothing, you carry on' John replied teasing his friend while Sherlock gave him an acidic look.

'Now come on boys, play nice' Mrs Hudson said as he flicked Sherlock's feet off the coffee table he was resting on and began tidying the plates in the kitchen.

'Do I have a case John?' Sherlock asked over politely

'Why Sherlock I think we do' he said as he turned to the computer and began to read aloud.

'Dear Mr. Holmes,

I am writing to with regards to matter that is most distressing. I have been the victim of a murder. By the time you read this email I will be dead- I need you Mr. Holmes to give my soul the peace it requires. Please contact my widow Cicely Gardiner for more information

Thank you and Good Luck

Mr. Thomas R. Gardiner'

'Is that it?' Sherlock exclaimed as he got up from his arm chair and paced across the room.

'Is it not interesting enough for you, a murdered man requiring help from beyond the grave? A man who knew that he was going to be murdered and then dashed you off a little note requesting help?' John slumped in the chair.

'It's a hoax' Sherlock pouted 'nothing more than a time waster looking to gain my interest, nice try' and then he threw himself on the sofa.

The door bell rang in the distance and Mrs Hudson went down stair to answer it.

'well, I think it shows promise, and if it keeps you from destroying another microwave, I think it's worth a look- the fire department weren't happy the last time, or the time before for that matter' he said as he got up and crossed the living room and sat in his arm chair.

'That wasn't a microwave it was a toaster' Sherlock said petulantly.

'Whatever- we need at least one clear week without calling them, it is embarrassing being on first name terms with the whole of the fire department.' John said picking up the discarded newspaper.

'Sherlock, good to see you're keeping busy' the tall figure of D.I. Lestrade was standing in the doorway.

'What do you want?' Sherlock muttered darkly

'Well, Hello to you too' he said looking to John for assistance

'Hello, what do you want?'

'I have a case for you'

'I'm busy' Sherlock fired at him

'Yeah, looks like it, you'll want this, its screaming for your attention' Lestrade said with a smile playing across his lips.

'Go on'

'at 9:34 this morning a man was found dead at his home on with a note on the door saying "Bring me Sherlock" inside the room there was thousands post it notes with the words "Bring me Sherlock", and in the hand of the body was a letter that read "Dear Mr. Holmes, I am writing to with regards to matter that is most distressing. I have been the victim of a murder. By the time you read this email I will be dead- I need you Mr. Holmes to give my soul the peace it requires. Please contact my widow Cicely Gardiner for more information, Thank you and Good Luck, Mr. Thomas R. Gardiner", so I can't help but think I should just save time and bring him Sherlock Holmes'

Sherlock stared into the ceiling above his head he could see the letter being printed in front of him, _Dear Mr. Holmes, I am writing to with regards to matter that is most distressing. _Formal possibly overly formal- ex-public school education circa 1950's so roughly 65-70 years old, split the difference 68, _I need you Mr. Holmes to give my soul the peace it requires_. Superstitious? Or overtly religious? Either way most likely catholic. _Mr. Thomas R. Gardiner- _works for the family business, he father was also Thomas Gardiner, and he kept the R. To distinguish between them when at work, when his father died it was too deeply in ingrained to bother to change. Traditionalist but Cecily uses another name for him.

'Now isn't that interesting Sherlock?' John remarked full of sarcasm.

'mildly' he conceded 'I best see the crime scene, it's not every day you get a 68 year old catholic ex- public school boy begging for your attention, oh and what is the name Cecily uses for him?'

'Robert, I won't even ask how you know that he doesn't go by Thomas, the cars outside if you are interested'

'Ah, the R! Unmarked car I trust?'

'As always' Lestrade replied used to Sherlock's provisos

'See you there in 5'


	2. Chapter 2

The home of Mr. Thomas R. Gardiner was found on the out skirts of town, a leafy town house with a warm and inviting appearance. However inside the unassuming town house was a den of darkness, in the room of the murder itself the walls were covers with little flapping pieces of violently yellow paper, on each piece carefully handwritten was 'Bring me Sherlock'. John carefully removed one of these from the wall.

'Well someone wanted to speak to you' he said darkly as he pocketed the post it note as Lestrade and Sherlock had their attention on the body.

'as always you boys have 2 minutes, then you have to be out of here,' Lestrade intoned to whoever was listening, sensing the lack of attention to his words 'I mean it, there must be 5000 pieces of paper in this room with Sherlock's name on each of them, assuming we can find the murderer, we would never secure a conviction if anyone knew you were here'

'Sherlock have you seen this?' John said 'the body is soaking wet, it looks like sweat'

'Hmm' Sherlock replied as he carefully examined the victims hands and nail.

'Just call me when you're done' Lestrade giving up with the pair of them.

'So 68 year old male' John started as if he was clerking a patient in his old days at Barts.

'This is not Mr. Thomas R. Gardiner'

'What do you mean?'

'this is a 68 year old male, who has being a builder for at least 60% of his life, he is probably from eastern Europe, maybe the Czech republic, although his physical qualities resemble Mr. Thomas R Gardiner this is not he'

'How do you know that?'

'This man has clear occupational markers- the skin on his hands are rough and worn he's left handed he favours his left side, he has occupational markers all along his left hand shoulder from a hod. The Health system of Eastern Europe wasn't what it is today and his teeth have suffered'

'And how do you know that he looked like Mr. Thomas R. Gardiner?'

'The clothes fit, but not like he owns them, the basic size is right but the collar is slack and the tailoring is poor. And between that and look around there are no photos anywhere in this room- not a picture of him and the wife, on holiday or family wedding or anything, nothing'

'We don't have photos at 221B' John remarked

'we also don't have dust marks where they used to be, do keep up John' Sherlock said almost disappointed 'this body will tell me nothing, and this' he said casting his elegant hand across the room 'this is completely appealing to my narcissistic tendencies, I mean it's just screaming for me, but it is still a hoax'

They passed Lestrade in the hallway, 'Anything you want to tell me?'

'I'll take the case' Sherlock said as he slipped his gloves on.

'Is that it?' his said with raised eyebrows

'Yes, I think so; I mentioned I'll take the case didn't I?' Sherlock said with a look of faux thoughtfulness and walked out the front door in to the wintery sunlight. John was jogging slightly to keep up with Sherlock's long strides.

'Why didn't you tell him that wasn't Thomas Gardiner?

'Because as ever I like to be one step ahead of the game, and the real Mr. Thomas R. Gardiner is out there alive and well. We need to speak to the widow'

The florescent lights in Scotland Yard flickered as John and Sherlock swept down the corridors and waited at the door of the custardy suite. 'Just follow my lead' Sherlock said as he grasped the door handle tightly.

'Mrs. Gardiner I presume, hello may I?' Sherlock say sitting on a clearly cheap and uncomfortable chair. John followed him in and was instantly shocked by what he saw. He was expecting to see an old woman of about 70 and what he was faced with was a young woman of 25 at the most, a little too blonde and brassy for his taste but clearly very attractive and a lot younger than her husband. Sherlock carried on never missing a beat 'This is my colleague Dr. John Watson, mind if we have a little chat?'

John looked Sherlock seriously doubting that he had ever had a little chat in his life, but followed his lead as requested and sat down beside the widow.

'It's just so unexpected' she said as she lifted her tissue to her mouth.

'Mrs. Gardiner, were you the person who identify your husband's body this morning?' John asked gently.

'Yes it was horrible, he was just so dead' she finished the sentence with a sob.

'Tell me a little about your husband' Sherlock asked kindly. John looked him; as far as he was concerned they had the answer they came for.

'Robert was a kind and gentle man, he was a wonderful person' Cecily replied

'How long have you been married Mrs. Gardiner?'John asked cautiously.

'Just over a year now' she replied between sniffs.

'Did Mr. Gardiner have any children?' Sherlock asked, already knowing the answer.

'We haven't got any children, he has a daughter from another marriage' she said looking appalled at the very thought of her step daughter.

'right well that will do us for today, Mrs Gardiner I'll be in touch in due course' Sherlock said getting up 'sorry for your loss'

'Good bye' John nodded to her as they left the room. He shut the door carefully behind them.

'So what did that teach us John?' Sherlock asked as if quizzing a child over their homework.

'that's she is either lying and knows her husband isn't dead, or that blonde hair dye is effecting her brains and no longer recognises her husband'

'mmm, they were married for a year, so hopefully long enough to know what each other looks like, she doesn't know who I am, so she didn't write that email or spend hours putting up those post its, she also very attractive and she is drastically younger than he is'

'I've never been happy to hear that you noticed that, there is hope for you yet' Sherlock gave him a look of poison.

'Quite, she hates her step daughter, let's talk to her' he said


	3. Chapter 3

'She's the one we really need to talk to' Sherlock rumbled as he hailed a cab.

'And how do we get in touch with her?' John said as they got into the cab that pulled up at the curb side and shut the door behind them.

'oh, she'll be in touch, she has been following us' Sherlock said, John whipped round in his seat and glanced suspiciously out of the back window.

'Now?' he said bobbing his head from side to side in hope of gaining a better look.

'No, not now, she was at the crime screen, she saw us arrive and leave, she follow us to Scotland Yard, and if I'm not mistaken and honestly John I'm very rarely mistaken, she was busy looking very disappointed when we got into a cab 5 minutes ago, don't worry she'll be in touch'

'So what we sit back and relax?' John said turning to face the right way in his seat.

'I suppose so, if you have no objections?' Sherlock replied stretching his long form out in front of him slight, reclining gracefully in his seat slightly.

'What about the murdered man at the house, I pretty sure he would object.' John said in gently reminding tone as Sherlock and he stepped of out of the cab and unlocked the door to 221B.

'Boring, honestly John how am I meant to concentrate on the problem at hand when you keep throwing boring inconsequential tasks in my way. Why does your mind have to be so easily distracted? Why is it the tiny problems always what interest you? I need to know the answer to the bigger problem. Why concentrate on the trees when there's a nice big wood to look at?'

'And oh great one what is the wood telling you today?' John added with a liberal dose of sarcasm while climbing the stairs.

'That Mrs Gardiner is clearly in on some of the plan, who want to talk to me so badly and why? And for that matter why bother faking your husband's death?' Sherlock added oblivious to the sarcasm as he flopped into his armchair, lacing his fingers together and staring at the ceiling.

'Seriously? Coming from the man who faked his own death?' John suddenly stopped midway through making the tea.

'That was more of a side effect,' Sherlock said 'you're not still sore about it, are you?'

'About you making me think that you were dead, thinking that I watched you die in front of me, unable to do anything about it, going to your funeral, and then seeing you at that book shop like the whole thing never happened.' John said as he filled the kettle 'your my friend it hurt.'

'I said I'm sorry John, I couldn't help it, I told you what would happen if I didn't do it'

'Yeah' John said with a deep breath.

'I'm still sorry' Sherlock repeated

'Well let's worry about this Mr. Thomas R. Gardiner's fake death' John said keen to change the subject.

'What a marvellous idea' said the red head standing in the doorway 'sorry the door was open'

'No it wasn't' John said watching her enter the room.

'well, it was open in the locked way' she said as she removed her coat and hooked it on the hook behind the door next to Sherlocks, she was wearing and fitted black dress that clung to her hips and breasts, she had a fantastic figure. 'my names Alicia Gardiner, I believe you are expecting me'

'Good afternoon Miss. Gardiner, do take a seat' Sherlock said indicating the arm chair opposite him.

'Sorry, did you just brake in?'John said flabbergasted.

'Yes, and call me Alicia, I think we can become firm friends'

'Alicia, what would you like to tell me?' Sherlock asked watching her every move as she leant back elegantly in the chair.

'I kind of hoped that you would find me' she said in one fluid breath 'oh well, c'est la vie'

'Did you now? I'm accustomed to surprising people' Sherlock said with a quick scan of her, starting at the bottom and working up wards. _5ft9in with 3in red heels_- tall, likes to stand out in the crowd, naturally shy but makes statements with her clothes, _black dress_-simple looks expense but probably not nearly as expensive as it looks, she has money but is clearly doesn't rely on Daddy's money, an independent woman, _red belt_- know where she wants the eye to look, extenuated her beautiful curves (_beautiful curves? Where did that come from?_) _Jewellery-_ small silver cross, old fashioned, not her choice, birthday present? Probably not, more likely her mothers, inherited, sentimental and _finally that hair_- perfect naturally glorious and doesn't she know it, _28 years old maybe 27?_ - Older than her step mother, that's got to hurt.

'Guess what? Me too' she said snapping Sherlock out of his thoughts

'Oh, I should have guessed, our secret post it assassin' he said realigning his thoughts.

'I'm not your killer' she replied a gently smile played across her lips

'I know'

'the killer is my father, he had the misfortunate to meet Aleck , a builder on his staff that happens to be something of a doppelganger, he hit him on the head and then he killed him with his Diabetic medication.' She said with a faltering breath, Sherlock notice the tone in her voice a registered the chink in her carefully crafted armour.

'Injected below the finger nail on his middle finger on his left hand' he said leaning back in his chair

'yes, I heard the plan, Cecily would go and stay with her mother over night, Daddy would assume a pseudonym and head to Scotland in a stolen car, she would call the police in the morning and positively identify the body as his, in a month or two she would meet him in Scotland with the insurance money' she said looking Sherlock straight in the eye regaining her former composure,

'It was all an insurance scam?' John said following the young womans story

'The business was failing and daddy is obsessed with money, obviously he would anything for money' she was almost certainly speaking to John but her eyes didn't leave Sherlock's for a second.

'John, would you make a call to Scotland Yard? I want Lestrade to come and pay a visit' Sherlock requested keeping her direct eye contact at all times not blinking for a second.

'Of course, I'll take it outside' he said noticing Sherlock's increased attention. If Sherlock was a normal human being John would expect a lower sense of attention while he giving Alicia the look she was receiving, but Sherlock was most definitely not a normal human being and the sense of brain power coming from Sherlock was immense, like a force of natural pounding off him in waves, if anything Sherlock was firing on all cylinders and hyper-alert.

'And the post its?' Sherlock said once John was outside.

'I needed the best. I needed to demand your attention' she said tucking her legs beneath he, leaning forward slightly.

'Well you have certainly got it' he said using milliseconds to peruse her long legs.

'If I'm very good can I demand it for a little longer' she whispered to him

'Maybe, are we flirting?' he asked surprised slightly.

'Yes, I hope so, although it's traditional not to ask' she said with a breathy voice.

'Right,' said Sherlock 'you were following me, why?'

'Wanted to check you were on task, and I liked to watch you, Sherlock you are most spectacular while on a case, the hunter and the chase' she said looking him up and down.

'Careful, he'll never fit his head out of the room' John said as he was at the door 'Lestrade says he can't come, he is at a crime scene'

'So? I want him here' Sherlock shouted petulantly

'Well, he wants you there' John said tapping his phone in his hand.

'Why?' Sherlock demanded

'More post its'


	4. Chapter 4

This was not what Sherlock expected to hear.

'Don't look at me you know precisely where I've been for the 3 hours' Alicia said as Sherlock gave her a penetrating look.

'Let's go' he said scooping both their coats off the back of the door and threw hers towards her.

'What a wonderful suggestion' she said leaving John to follow in their wake.

Alicia recognised the address as soon as she arrived. 'This is one of my father's properties' she said looking up at the old Victorian villa 'he brought it for pennies and sold it for millions'

'Your father is very successful' John said as they walked through the front gates.

'He's ruthless' she said. The front door opened a head of them.

'Hang on what's going on here?' it was Lestrade, 'who's this?' he said stopping them in their path.

'Oh how rude of me, D.I. Lestrade this is Alicia Gardiner, where's the body?' Sherlock turn sarcastically to the detective.

'Hold on, Alicia Gardiner- Thomas Gardiners daughter?' he said startled

'Yes, that's the one, where's the body?' Sherlock demanded

'She can't go in there, that's a copy of her father's crime scene' he said standing directly in the way of Sherlock

'Actually Sherlock he's right, what if it isn't what we are expecting to see' John said looking from Alicia to Sherlock.

'It's ok, when you discover that the body is not my father you can come and get us, I'm sure I can amuse myself here, I'm sure D.I. Lestrade will keep me company' she said taking Lestrade by the arm and gently pulling him to one side making a tiny gesture seem like an invitation, Sherlock watched her carefully, not missing the ploy at all, if anything he was slightly impressed.

'The body is through here, is it?' he said as soon as he was sure Alicia had Lestrade hooked.

'Yeah, first door on the left 2 minutes' he replied not paying attention where Sherlock was going.

'I know, blah blah blah!' he said throwing words in to the air.

The house was plain and simple with an unfussy interior design scheme, Sherlock looked at it with a look of pure disgust 'magnolia, look at it John, magnolia-torture for the soul'

'Shall we just get on with it?' John said 'I'm not sure how long Lestrade will last with Alicia'

'Oh she'll eat him alive' he said with a delicate smile playing across his lips.

'You and her were getting on well' John said

'What? Yes, shall we go in?' he said shocked but keen to get on with it; he put his hand on the door handle and turn it carefully. As the door open a breeze blew a fluttered a violent storm of yellow post it notes. 'Bring me Sherlock' hand written over and over again.

'This isn't right' John said

'This is magnificent! A copy cat fake! So detailed, check the hand writing with the post it from the first crime scene, perfect! Honestly John this is just amazing work!' he said with his arms out stretched

'Sherlock, the body?'John said indicating the body on the floor

'Oh the body! It's like it's my birthday!' Sherlock said 'and he is just the perfect present, another doppelganger, not nearly as good as the first, different clothes same poor fit and tailoring, soaking in sweat from an insulin overdose, small injection under the left middle finger, this victim is probably more locally sourced, his never done a days manually work in his life- pure organic office worker, plays tennis at the weekend, left handed' he rattled off, losing his verve slightly toward the end.

'So that's what this is all about? Copy cat fake?' John asked

'But why? Why bother?'Sherlock exclaimed dropping his arms to his side.

'Lestrade needs to know that the first body isn't who he thinks it is' John reminded him.

'Oh he isn't stupid enough to believe, oh actually he probably is, get him in here and get Alicia too' Sherlock added as John reached the door.

'What are you doing here?' Sherlock said as his was checking the body for further injuries.

'Thought I'd pop in a see you at work' Mycroft said standing in the doorway

'No, you didn't, you don't pop in and this is one of your MI5 goons' Sherlock said annoyed already.

'Mmm, Mr. Richard Jones, MI6 actually' Mycroft sighed

'Whatever, you remember the man that follows you for 3 days and pick pocketed twice' Sherlock replied never letting his attention drop from the body.

'You really have to stop pick pocketing agents' Mycroft exhaled idly

'Stop having them follow me' Sherlock quipped

'Natural causes?' he asked hopefully

'Would you be here if it was'

'And you will give this your full attention' he said rolling his eyes

'At least 30% at all times'

'Hello John' Mycroft said as John, Lestrade and Alicia enter the room.

'Mycroft nice to see you again, one of yours? You really should keep a more carefully eye on your agents' John with a nod to the body in the centre of the room.

'Mmm, quite, Alicia what a delightful surprise?'Mycroft said extending his hand towards her.

'Always a pleasure, Mycroft' she said shaking it gently.

'What put you in this bizarre circle of company?' he said looking from his brother to the red head, making and whole series of deductions by himself.

'My father mainly, pleasure secondly' she said

'Ah your father, how is he?' Mycroft enquired

'Not dead' she said bluntly

'Sorry, I thought he was dead, your step mother identified his body this morning' Lestrade said hardly following.

'She lied, her husband isn't dead, she not a widow, she's not even a natural blonde' Sherlock said rapidly 'now someone has tried the same trick twice but why?'

Mycroft's phone rang, 'Sherlock they will be no messing around, I need you to solve this as quickly as you can, I need to know if cover was compromised, and which operatives are at stake' he left the room talking quietly on the phone.

'Alicia you set up the first crime scene?' John asked

'Yes, I'll claim the original; I found the body at 22:00 last night and set to work'

'This body has been dead at least 12 hours which puts us in the region of between ten and midnight' John said

'Did you kill this man?' Lestrade asked

'Lestrade why do you never think about things before you say them?'Sherlock sighed 'does she look able to kill a MI6 agent? OK let me put it another way, Alicia has extremely good taste and chose to spend many hours covering a room with post it notes with my name on them just to demand my presence, how many hours did that take you?'

'Roughly 5 hours, 16 minutes and 45 seconds, give or take.' She said watching Sherlock's every move.

'She didn't do it' Lestrade said reluctantly, 'so were back to square one'

'I would say that, the first murder was clearly well thought out, the post its were a twist added on last minute, unknown to the murderer' Sherlock said looking round at his captive audience looking blankly at him 'so whoever murdered this man thought the post its were part of the original plan, so copied it precisely'

'But we know different and so the copy cat got it majorly wrong without knowing it' Alicia added helpfully.

'Yes very good Alicia' Sherlock said smiling 'so we know the murder of the first body was your father Mr. Thomas R. Gardiner'

'Hang on totally lost'

'Lestrade, I don't have time for this, be cleaver or shut up, it was an insurance scam, this body has a totally new and if I had to guess strong male murderer, someone who had access to Mr. Gardiners house and medication, the only reason this particular man is dead is that he vaguely resembles Mr. Thomas R. Gardiner, I don't think the murderer had any idea that he was MI6, which is a shame'

'Why?'

'Sherlock hates coincidence; it never leaves anything at neat as it could be'


	5. Chapter 5

Back at 221B Baker Street, Sherlock was thinking, John was making the tea, and Alicia was watching Sherlock carefully.

'I would find a book to read if I were you' John said as he shifted some of Sherlock's experiment around the limited kitchen work surfaces

'He hasn't move in 45 minutes, are you sure he's alright?' she said watching him blink occasionally

'He's fine, he can keep this up for hours and hours' John said as he put a cup of tea in front of her on the coffee table and place another at the side of Sherlock.

'But it's like he doesn't even register that we're here' she said feeling tempted to wave a hand in front of his face.

'Mmm, I once left him there over night, got up in the morning he's in exactly the same position' John said relaxing back in the armchair.

'You and Sherlock,' Alicia started

'We're not a couple' John said quickly

'I wasn't going to say that' she gave him a half smile.

'Oh, sorry force of habit, go on' John said slightly embarrassed as he took a sip of tea

'Never mind it's not important' she said

'You fancy him don't you?' John said watching her reaction

'I thought you boys weren't a couple' she said looking at John with interest

'Were not, but you're playing fire with him,' he said for all the good it would do

'Let me guess, he's not like other boys' she said in a sweet and winsome voice 'I'm not like other girls'

'I can see that, I think you must be nearly as damage as he is, I'm going to bed' he said giving up on the lost venture.

'I'm staying to watch over him' she said nodding at the reclining form of Sherlock Holmes.

'Precisely' Sherlock sat bolt upright, swung his legs around and kicked over the cold cup of tea that John had brought him hours ago.

It was 6:40; Alicia had fallen asleep in the chair and woke with a start.

'You' he said indicating Alicia ignoring the cold tea spilling on the carpet 'why? Why did you do it? All that effort, why?'

'Why do you think Sherlock?' she said raising her voice slightly

'I don't know, it just seems so pointless, mean even for a normal person really, really, pointless! And you seem reasonably clever' he said looking at her trying to see something he hadn't picked up on.

'Thanks' she said with a note of sarcasm

'So what aren't you telling me? You didn't panic when you found the body? You didn't call the police why?'

'Because I wanted to make him suffer! I wanted to make him think he had got away with it, and I wanted you to be the one to beat him' she shouted at him 'I kind of thought you would understand the suffering part of the plan, the rest of it got out of hand, I honestly had very little idea what I was doing, the idea just form in my head when I saw the body and realised what was happening, that my dear father was merciless enough to kill a man for his own ends, I knew I needed something special for him I needed the best' she said walking towards him and whispering, the last two words to him

'I am the best' Sherlock said in a low voice

'I know' she breathed as she took a hand a gently smoothed down the lapels of his velvet jacket.

'Why do you want him to suffer, Alicia?' he said half distracted by Alicia's lingering hand.

She looked at him and breathed in sharply, she took a step back from him she unzipped the back of her dress. 'I don't think-'Sherlock started as she turned around, the material slipped from her shoulders and revealed a series of scars and healing bruises, 'oh Alicia' Sherlock managed as he reached out a touched a particularly nasty bruise on the thoracic region of her back, he had seen enough he zipped her dress up again.

'It started when I was 15, before my exams, the pressure to be clever and smart and get the best results. My mock exam results just weren't good enough and he hit me, I tried harder for the proper exams and the results were better but not nearly good enough for daddy dearest, I went to university, but dreaded coming home for holidays, to him, I got a first in English literature but it was never enough' she said with a tear rolling down her cheek.

'But those bruises are new, 4 days to a week tops' he said

'4 days ago, I moved back home temporarily, I was fired from my job at Fox publishing, according to him I'm a failure' she said losing a few more tears from her eyes, 'it just seemed like such a good idea at the time and now it's my fault that mans dead,'

'You are not, this is not your fault and I will do everything I can for you' he said

The small clock on the mantle chimed, 'John will you make the tea, please' Sherlock said as he appeared in the doorway, he sighed deeply, and walk to the kitchen

'So predictable, same time every day, that's the military for you.'

Alicia could hear the kettle softly rumble in the kitchen as John moved carefully around the kitchen. She felt as though she had revealed too much to Sherlock, it made her feel a little too exposed to him. It had been a long time since anyone had seen the scars on her back; she had always been extraordinarily careful show her back to anyone, her relationships suffered accordingly. She had never felt that she could trust anyone enough to allow them to see that side of her, her vulnerability was on show to Sherlock alone.


	6. Chapter 6

John phone buzzed softly on the coffee table, the name on the front flashed up 'Greg Lestrade'

'you put him down as "Greg Lestrade"?' Sherlock shouted across the length to the living room

'Yes, because that is his name, you're the only one who goes around calling him just Lestrade' he said as he snacked up his phone.

'Hello' he said quietly and walked back to the kitchen as Mrs Hudson padded into the room

'Sherlock there's a young man at the door' she said

'Tell him I'm busy'

'He says he has brought something for Alicia, but we don't know any Alicias do we'

'This is Alicia' he said lazily indicating the young woman

'Oh hello dear, this must be for you' she handed Alicia a bag and a small package.

'Well this is for me, but I think that this must be for you' she said passing the brown paper package across to Sherlock.

'John,' he called barely taking his eyes from the package 'John!'

'Hang on, yes' he said covering the phone with his hand.

'Would you kindly ask Lestrade to send the bomb disposal people round? Alicia take the bag and come with me, John we're leaving' he said placing the package on the table.

'Lestrade Sherlock says we have a bomb here' John said down the phone 'Mrs Hudson we all need to leave, there is a bomb up stairs' he said steering her out the front door, grabbing the coats on the way out.

Once they were outside Sherlock took his coat from John and hailed a cab. 'Mrs. Hudson, the bomb disposal unit will be here in seconds, tell them it is not live and is poorly constructed, this bomber is an amateur and not a very good one,' he said opening the cab door for Alicia and John 'I promise the house won't get blown up but I can't say the same for your coffee table' he said getting in to the cab.

'But Sherlock!'

'Sorry Mrs. Hudson!' he said slamming the door and the cab got to the bottom of the road as a flurry of sirens came speeding around the corner.

'Where to?' asked the cabby with a thick south London accent.

'Alicia, your old address please?' Sherlock said looking at her

'45 Arcadia Gardens, please'

'Why are we going there?'John asked, almost wishing he had managed to have that cup of tea before they left.

'Because we are one step ahead' Sherlock growled

They pulled up at the empty flat and hopped out of the cab, they went up to the door.

'We could try the "I've locked myself out of the flat" trick,' John said 'or you could impress us with your lock picking skills'

'Or I could just open the door with the spare key I had cut?' she said holding a set of keys a loft.

Inside the flat was a narrow corridor with a large lounge and kitchen coming off of it and steps leading to the bedroom.

'If I'm correct, behind this door is a room covered in post it notes but there will be no body' Sherlock said as he gripped the handle.

As the door swung open the unmistakable flutter of violent yellow hit their eyes. But Sherlock was perfectly correct, as always.

'Sherlock what have we just done? Have just interrupted a murder in progress?'

'This is preparation; we can stop the next murder from happening'

'And the bomb?'

'A little something to grab my attention, I was supposed to be looking at that, so I wasn't looking at this' he said darkly.

They heard the door open and shut in the distance, and voices in the corridor.

'As you can see this lovely little flat as been maintained to a high standard, with a newly fitted kitchen and versatile lounge space' the male voice said, another softer voice could be heard.

'Yes there's off street parking for two cars, which you don't usually find in this area, the bathroom is through here' they heard another door open and shut.

'Sherlock, I hope to god you've got a plan' John hissed as him.

'And this is the bedroom,' the handle turned on the door, Sherlock and Alicia pressed themselves in to a fitted wardrobe in wall. There was hardly an inch between they could just see John hiding in a similar position in the mirror opposite, Alicia could feel Sherlock's shallow breathing next to her as her heart raced in her chest she reached her hand in to his and looked over to him, he looked at her briefly and then down to her fingers entwined in his.

The door opened and the men stepped in, it was him, her father, she made a scarcely audible gasp. Sherlock carefully slip a hand over her mouth and whispered and 'sshh' noise in her ear.

'yes the view from the window is rather lovely' he said the other man stood in front of the window and regarded the view with interest unaware that danger was behind him, Thomas Gardiner was preparing a syringe in his hand. He made a move to stab it in the side of the man, Alicia couldn't watch any longer and she broke free of Sherlock's grip. But she was too later John had beaten her to it and already had his gun trained on her father. The surprise barely startled Thomas Gardiner, and he efficiently got the man in to a strong hold.

'Put the syringe down' Sherlock ordered

'Good morning Mr. Holmes, how pleasant it is to see you and Alicia, I ought to have known' he said moving his hostage into a strong hold.

'Oh Daddy, what have you done?'Alicia sighed

'Daddy?'John asked surprised

'Oh John do keep up, Mr. Thomas R. Gardiner my colleague Dr. Watson is an excellent shot and will not hesitate to shoot you, now let-'

'Simon' Alicia said quietly

'Let Simon go, how do you know Simon?' Sherlock finished, looking surprised

'We went to school together, small world' Alicia said nonchalantly, Simon nodded that her.

'Right, well the game is up, let the hostage go,' John said keeping things on track.

'No the game is still on, why Mr. Gardiner? What made this seem like a good idea to you, don't get me wrong I'm flattered but, why?'

Mr. Thomas R. Gardiner looked at him.

'Oh why so quiet now?'

'She made me do it'

'Who?'

'Miss. Alicia C. Gardiner, if she just kept her nose out of my business, none of this ever had to happen' he said simply 'the first murder was a necessary, and after that the second was a delight, who would ever suspect a dead man and my dear Alicia's little twist made it even more of a delight, I got the attention of the great Sherlock Holmes and I got to annoy that snob of a brother of yours too,'

'well, I can see how that would be appealing, and the bomb?'

'what bomb?'

'the bomb! The bomb!'

'Sherlock he doesn't know anything about it, Mr. Gardiner will you surrender your hostage'

'with pleasure' he said as he pushed Simon towards John forcing the gun upwards , Alicia moved in front of the exit and Thomas Gardiner ran straight into her, the syringe still in his hand, it injected into her stomach. As he push her out of the way and ran toward the door. John was fast behind him and fired off a shot, making Mr. Thomas R. Gardiner collapse to the floor, like a broken marionette.

'alicia!' Sherlock said rolling her on to her front, her head lolled in front of them, eyes unfocused, swimming in and out of consciousness. 'John call an ambulance, Alicia?'

'I need an ambulance, there has been an overdose of insulin and a man has been shot, 45 Arcadia Gardens,' John said looking at the broken body at the end of the corridor. It was then Alicia started seizing in Sherlock's arms.


	7. Chapter 7

Author's note- I would like to say a quick Thank you to everyone that has read this story. I have enjoyed writing it so much and I hope that you have enjoyed reading it. This is the last chapter in this story, but I hope that another idea will present itself to me and I can have another outing with Sherlock and John. Thanks again for reading xxx

Lestrade arrived just as Alicia was being put into the back of the ambulance unconscious but stable.

'as I was telling John this morning, we picked up Cecily Gardiner at Heathrow Airport trying to board a plane to Buenos Aires, she confessed to her part in fraud and the murder of Aleck Ryminov, she claims not to have heard or seen her husband since.'

'The copy cat is her husband, Mr. Thomas R. Gardiner, was behind Richard Jones murder,' John said as Sherlock watched the paramedics shut the doors.

'What about the bomb? What did the Bomb disposal unit find?' Sherlock said snapping himself out of his thoughts.

'yeah you were right, poorly constructed, organic based, explosive device, a small charge and a small amount of explosive, very clean' he said looking at his notes.

'Very clean?' Sherlock said 'well, thank you Lestrade, we'll be seeing you'

'Very clean? What's that supposed to mean?' John asked as they walked away

'It means I know who sent that bomb' Sherlock replied triumphantly.

Back at 221B Baker Street, the kettle was already steaming and Mycroft Holmes was sat in Sherlock's arm chair, wearing an impeccable dark gray three piece suit.

'Another one cracked?' he said as he passed Sherlock a piping hot cup of tea and settle another at the side of the lap top.

'I see the coffee table survived' John said as he sat down in front of the laptop.

'Thank you as always for your interference,' Sherlock said settling himself into John's arm chair

'Just providing a little distraction, I thought that would be the kind of thing you enjoyed' he smiled wryly.

'It is usually, I do like to keep abreast of bomb disposal, never know when it will come in handy, but really right in the middle of a case' Sherlock said with mock disapproval

'You were going to miss your cue, and I couldn't have that' he said mocking his brother

'Don't tell me that you thought I had missed the Simon link? You really are so dull and oblivious Mycroft' Sherlock said as he drank his tea

'I had him prepared for hours'

'And he also was at the second crime scene and I suppose you know about the affair that he and Richard Jones were having' Sherlock threw in just to annoy him

'You're always so very perceptive Sherlock, except to what is happening in front of you' Mycroft said softly.

'What's that suppose to mean?' Sherlock replied interested

'She faked a note so well that even you couldn't tell that she had wrote it, she broking in to your house, she knew that there was a bomb in that package the moment it was placed in her hands, go to the hospital and find out what I mean' Mycroft said allowing his younger brother to meditate on every word.

Sherlock got up and took his coat and scarf, went down stairs and hailed a cab 'St. Barts hospital please'- "_are we flirting?_ _I hope so, although it's traditional not to ask" _the words swam in his head, she showed him her scars, voluntarily, it wasn't one of his tricks, so chose to show him something dark and personal. He could almost feel her flesh his beneath his hand, and her lips against his fingers. She always knew where she was leading him.

Once he arrived at the hospital he asked at the reception, they said that she wasn't there, that she had self discharged, he spoke to the senior nurse and gleamed that she was reasonably fit and she had been lucky that there was someone with her. He didn't claim to be that someone that was with her, too many questions.

He walked back to Baker Street, the sun was starting to set over the monuments of London, and it was dark as he opened to front door and went upstairs. There was a note stuck to the fridge 'Gone out with Rachel, be back late' Sherlock pulled it off the fridge and screwed it up in a temper.

'Sherlock?' he turned around at her voice. 'I thought I'd pop round and say thank you'

'I went to the hospital' he said following the voice in the living room

'I know,' she said sat on the sofa.

'I'm sorry about your father' he said walking from the kitchen.

'He had it coming' she said 'no he didn't' she said with a bit of thought. He sat down beside her.

'Close your eyes' he said, and softly and chastely placed a kiss on her lips 'thank you Alicia, I was frightened for you, that's a rare thing for me, even rarer for me to recognise it'

She gently opened her eyes and looked deep in to his, taking his hand and pressing it against her lips, along her chin and down her neck 'I don't know what I'm doing' he whispered and letting his hand rest on her beating heart.

She placed her hand on the side of his cheek and kissed him deeply on the lips. 'Thank you for saving me'


End file.
